Safeguarding
The key ways in which we ensure our children’s safety and welfare are as follows.
Through Recruitment
We work within the guidelines of “Safer Recruitment”. We ensure that any new staff members are suitably qualified and vetted with at least two positive references, and that Enhanced DBS Checks are carried out and verified prior to employment. In addition to this we also ensure that all current staff members are registered on the national DBS Update Service to ensure ongoing compliance.
Through Physical Safeguard’s
All of our Nurseries have External and Internal CCTV, a minimum of two concurrent lockable entry doors and secure outer fencing around our garden areas. In addition to this we hold maintenance contacts with certified companies who perform regular electrical certification, gas safety certification, PAT testing and fire extinguisher and systems maintenance.
Through Purchasing
We only purchase products and resources though recognized and trusted Early Years Education suppliers, such as The YPO, TTS, Hope Education and Community Play.
Through OFSTED Ratios
Our qualified nursery practitioner’s work within the recognized OFSTED and EYFS ratios of staff members to children which are as follows:
- Age – Birth to 2 Years – 1/3
- Age – 2 Years – 1/5
- Age – 3 Years Plus – 1/8
In addition to this we also often adopt enhanced 1/1 or 1/2 staffing ratios to assist with the safe inclusion of our children with additional needs.
Through Our Room Capacities
We cap child occupancy for all of our rooms in line with OFSTED and EYFS recommended floor space guidelines which are as follows:
- Age – Birth to 2 Years – 1/3.5M Square
- Age – 2 Years – 1/2.5M Square
- Age – 3 Years Plus – 1/2.3M Square
Through Education
We teach our children to keep themselves safe through our practical curriculum where we learn about how to take care of ourselves and wash our hands, how to play nicely with others and share, how to stay safe on our community walks and in the outdoors and also how to stay safe in the kitchen and home environment.
Through Designated Roles
All of our nurseries have designated Safe Guarding Leads whose role it is to ensure our compliance with all safeguards put in place and monitor the wellbeing of all of our children.
Through Training
Our staff members are trained in Safe Guarding practices and this training is updated and maintained on a regular basis.
Through Observation and Reporting
Through the training we provide our staff members are aware of key signs of neglect or ill-treatment of children both emotional and physical and both subtle and obvious. We have a legal responsibility to report any concerns, risks or signs of abuse we identify to the appropriate authority.
Through Effective Policies
We have a written Child Protection Policy in place, this policy can be viewed at the bottom of this page.
Through Risk Assessment
Small manageable risks exist day to day for both adults and children, we Risk Asses all aspects of our nurseries identifying these small manageable risks with the aim of reducing them as far as is practicably possible. If an accident does then occur and a child were to get a “Bump” or “Graze” we record and investigate this and take effective action to reduce or prevent the possibility of it occurring again.
Paediatric First Aid
We have Paediatric First Aid trained staff members at each of our Nurseries who are able to respond immediately and appropriately to any injuries or incidents that may occur, however unlikely.
Through Healthy Foundations
We aim to ensure our children receive a healthy and nutritious diet and are also exposed to a healthy level of physical activity. You can learn more about this on our “Healthy Foundations” page.
Through Individual Requirements
We take special care to ensure the individual requirements of our children are met effectively. This could include everything from ensuring any allergy or dietary concerns are met, to providing specific resources to ensure safe play and education for our children who have additional needs.
OUR SAFEGUARDING POLICY
Our nursery wants to work with children, parents and the community to ensure the safety of children and to give them the very best start in life.
Inclusion & SEND
Diversity
Diversity at its broadest in Early Years refers to the wide ranging social, economic, religious, cultural and national backgrounds that our children and their parents come from. It also refers to the broad physical, emotional and behavioral ranges and abilities of our children.
Inclusion
Inclusion at its broadest in Early Years is about practices which ensure that everyone “belongs”, from our children and their parents to our practitioners and managers.
Equality
Equality at is broadest in Early Years means to ensure that all children are treated fairly, protecting their rights and offering them the same opportunities.
Based upon our values and principles as a Nursery Group and also acting in-line with Local Authority, OFSTED and EYFS Curriculum guidelines we seek to ensure and provide Equality of opportunity and anti-discriminatory practice ensuring that Every Child Is Included and supported. We do this not only so that every child is included and not disadvantaged, but also so that they learn from the earliest age to value Diversity in others and grow up making a positive contribution to society.
All Children should be and are treated equally and inclusively at all times at our Nurseries.
Supporting Special Educational Needs
All children are unique, and some children have additional needs which we will always strive to meet when it comes to their care.
Special educational needs are described by the Special Education Needs Code of Practice as falling into four areas.
- Communication and Interaction
- Cognition and Learning
- Behavior, Emotional and Social Development
- Sensory and/or Physical
In our Nurseries we make provision for children who have a variety of Special Educational Needs, we also know that some children will have difficulties in more than one area and we will always do our best in respect of this. The actual support delivered will be based on the specific needs of each Child, this can include a variety of adaptions including changes to the physical environment, changes to teaching styles as well as the addition of enhanced staffing.
All of the above will be overseen and coordinated by each of Nurseries dedicated SEND Leads, supported by each Nurseries management team, key person and practitioners.
For further information on the SEND offering of our local authority please click on the link below: